Amazon's Hilariously Messy Sitcom Catastrophe Returns For a Second Season

"I think it may have been irresponsible for us to procreate," Sharon (Sharon Horgan) says early on in the second season of Catastrophe, and she's not entirely wrong. The first season saw Sharon and Rob (Rob Delaney) trying to figure things out when she gets pregnant after a one-week stand; this second season finds our foul-mouthed, endlessly fucked-up, disastrous couple struggling to keep things together while embarking on the always-messy journey of parenthood.

Catastrophe, a British sitcom that was picked up exclusively by Amazon Instant Video, was a surprising little comedy in its first season. Written entirely by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, Catastrophe rushed through the rom-com beats at breakneck speed while presenting them out of order: beginning with a pregnancy and ending with a marriage. A cliffhanger saw Sharon's water break, but the second season doesn't care to show the immediate aftermath. Instead, Catastrophe makes the smart creative decision to skip ahead a few years, with the couple settled down in a nice house and Sharon pregnant once again even though they haven't quite gotten the hang of the first kid. She gives birth quickly in the first episode, freeing up the rest of season to explore the dilemma of raising two young children while also dealing with a multitude of problems that keep crashing into the unsuspecting couple—and that keep trying to pull them apart.

Throughout the six short episodes, Sharon and Rob face some familiar sitcom-y parental obstacles: Sharon doesn't fit in with the Mommy and Me group she attends, Sharon forgets her breast pump while on vacation and painful hilarity ensues, Rob and Sharon keep getting interrupted by a crying baby when they're trying to have sex, et cetera et cetera. Although it's stuff that we've seen before, Catastrophe does a solid job at making old tropes feel new, mostly thanks to the spot-on dialogue. Plus, every mishap just serves to strengthen and reinforce their relationship, and showcases how—and why—these two work so well together. When another mother, Samantha, shoots down Sharon's invitations to hang out, Rob retaliates by confronting Samantha at a movie theater and detailing everything that makes Sharon wonderful—and then throwing in some spoilers just to really ruin her day. It's childish but sweet, an expletive-laden romantic ode.

Amazon Studios

Catastrophe also clicks when it throws in some real, serious issues to balance out the hijinks. Sharon doesn't exactly have postpartum depression, but she has something like it, namely because she's worried about not connecting with her second child as much as she did with her first one. (Their firstborn was a premature health risk; Sharon wouldn't even let Rob touch their son for three weeks.) A running storyline involves the deterioration of Sharon's father's mind. Rob has his own problems: He hates his job, is frustrated with so many aspects of his life, and can't even pronounce his own daughter's name. All around them, their friends are breaking down as well: separation, illness, alcoholism, sobriety, relapse. They can't help but pile on to both Sharon and Rob, adding further complications to an already complex relationship.

What makes Catastrophe so immensely watchable is that it's such an adult romantic comedy. It has no interest in portraying romance through rose-colored glasses or providing sweet meet-cutes; instead, it focuses on the realistic, relatable, and brutally honest aspects of an adult relationship. When Sharon and Rob's marriage gets rocky, it really gets rocky. They lash out at each other, they insult each other, and they have terrible fights. But then they make up the way that compatible adults do. They make each other laugh. The recognize their faults and are upfront with one another. They look at the couples around them and realize that they actually have it pretty good.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

This commenting section is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information on their web site.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Esquire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.